


Sonic Boom ZAU

by VicDJ203



Category: Sonic Boom (Cartoon), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Multi, Other, References to Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Adventure, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23367295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VicDJ203/pseuds/VicDJ203
Summary: Here's a zombie AU for Sonic Boom because I've been playing too much Left 4 Dead 2.
Relationships: Shadow the Hedgehog & Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Getting settled

Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, and Tails are sitting on the kitchen floor. They're in a boarded up Tails' house. Groaning and pounding can be heard just outside the walls. The gang huddle in a circle to plan their next course of action.

Sonic takes initiative by grabbing a kitchen knife and holding it upright.  
"First things first, we need to arm ourselves."

"We need to find Sticks!" Amy blurts out.

"I know but we won't even be able to leave if we don't have protection."

Tails adds "We probably shouldn't touch them. ANY contact could be dangerous."

"Well I have my hammer. Isn't that enough?" Amy insists

"Yeah, and I have my FISTS!" Knuckles shows off his muscles.

"Knuckles, punching them is contact" Tails informs him.

"Look, everyone but Amy take a knife or a chair or something." As Sonic instructs the gang, he hands Tails the kitchen knife and stands up.  
"Amy, you stay ahead of the rest of us."

"I'm surprised you're not just gonna run way ahead and find Sticks yourself."

"Yeah well… Sticks probably locked herself up in her burrow with traps. If I get stuck, you can't help me."

"I'm sure we could get through without you somehow. Still… I like it when you take charge~"

"Ok Amy, that's enough-let's get out there!" Sonic suddenly wanders away from Amy.

Tails attaches his knife to a Buddy Bot and pours some nails inside its mouth. Knuckles grabs three chairs and tapes them to himself. One on each arm and one on his head. Sonic grabs all the butterknives and practices throwing one. Afterwards, he grabs them and waits by the front door barricade.

"Ready?!" Sonic shouts.  
Everyone replies "Ready!" In unison and line up with Sonic. Amy, in front, knocks down the barricade with her hammer. She swings left and right, throwing the zombified townsfolk out of the way. Sonic stabs anyone who gets too close, but only in the arm. Knuckles pushes them away with his chair-hands and seems to forget about the one on his head.

The four make it pass the horde surrounding the house and book it to Sticks' burrow. Unfortunately, Sticks isn't there. There are no fresh traps or signs of a struggle.

"Do you think they got her?" Amy asks worryingly to Sonic.

"No. I'm sure we would've see Zombie Sticks around. It's not a very big town. Plus, it doesn't look like anyone broke in."

"We should go to the Mayor's office." Tails insists, "It's important to look for anyone who hasn't turned."

The gang head over to see the Mayor. They carefully fight through zombies and make it to a door, heavily blocked from the inside.

"Uh… Mayor Fink?" Amy calls out while knocking on the door. "We need to make sure you're ok!"

"Go away! I WON'T become zombie!" Fink screams at the door.

"We won't let any zombies in." Knuckles tells him.

"How do I know YOU'RE NOT zombies?!"

"Zombies can't talk." Sonic answers. "Just let us in so we don't have to break the door down."

The Mayor fumbles to move the barricade for what feels like an eternity but eventually, he let's them in.

"Sorry about that. It's just-well I'm an important figure. If anything happens to me, we'd REALLY be doomed."

"Have you seen Sticks anywhere?" Amy asks with no hesitation.

"I'm afraid not. I've been locked up in my office all morning."

"Any chance the zombies haven't made it to the next town?" Sonic asks.

"Oh heavens no! The whole island is probably infested by now. You should all stay here with me. I don't really have enough for for all of you-but we have power so it's fine."

"Sorry Mayor, but we have to find our friend and anyone else who might be unaffected." Tails insists.

"Are you crazy?! You'll be zombified!!"

"We'll be fine. Hopefully we can find a cure and put an end to this."

"Well… If you crazy heroes wanna go outside, make sure you close the door behind you."

And with that, the gang leaves the Mayor behind, wish him safety, and head out for the nearest town. They take Tails' van and drive off. Along the way, the come across a few zombies, which leave the team with a bad feeling. Still, they drive on and try to remain positive.

The team finally arrive at the next town but everything seems baron. No one around, zombie or unaffected.

"Maybe everyone left?" Knuckles questions.

"But where to?" Tails asks.

The gang walks around and calls out for anyone. They hear some groaning from behind one of the shops. Sonic rushes over to investigate and finds someone hunched over.

"Guys! I found someone!" He calls. 

They run over to help, however, the hunched over figure reveals himself to be a zombie. He lunges at Sonic but trips back to the ground. Sonic is about to order the team to run but is cut off by a gunshot. He looks back to his would-be attacker to find Shadow standing over him with a pistol.

"Shadow?! You're ok?!" Sonic asks with excitement.

"Did you assume I wouldn't be?" Shadow remarks.

"What happened here?" Tails butts in.

"How the hell should I know? Everyone started attacking each other so I fought back."

"You killed the zombies?" Sonic asks in shock.

"Is that what happened? Yes, I killed them. Were you expecting me to lay down and die?"

"Shadow, we're gonna cure these people. So no more killing them."

"Whatever. By the way, a have your little friend with me."

"You found Sticks!" Amy cheers.

"Yeah. She turned my cave into a bunker for non-zombies. I need you to get her."

"I mean, it sounds like a good idea." Adds Knuckles. "Why do we need to get her?"

"Because it's MY cave. If people don't wanna be eaten, that's their problem." 

"Then why'd you help us?" Sonic asks, already fed up with Shadow's attitude.

"To inform you dumbasses. Stick took over my cave and I saw Eggman going up the mountain."

"Wait what? Ugh… How much you wanna bet Eggman is the cause of all this?"

"10 bucks." Knuckles answers.

"No knux I'm not… you know what, whatever. We need to catch Egghead before he causes more trouble. You in, Shadow?"

"So you aren't collecting your friend from my place."

"Well, no. She's got the right idea, giving shelter to protect from zombies."

"You know an awful lot about what to do in this situation. How do I know you didn't put your friend up to this?"

"I read LOTS of comic book, m'kay. I know how to deal with a zombie outbreak. Come on! If you don't wanna deal with Sticks, then help us fight Eggman."

Sonic grabs Shadow by the arm before he can respond and pulls him away with the group. The group trek up the mountain and stop once they've reached the snowy peak. Nothing is there but a pole with two wires jutting out of each side. Tails tries to pull it out of the ground in hopes of studying it. However, Shadow destroys it without warning.

"Shadow! I was gonna run some tests, figure out what Eggman is up to." Tails yells, agitated.

Shadow doesn't seem to care and demands they return to his cave. He starts down the mountain while the rest help Tails carry the now broken pole. By the time everyone makes it to the foot of the mountain, the sun begins to set. Sonic urges everyone to hurry to Shadow's cave because "zombies are always more active at night." Which no one really believes. Still, they agree getting to the cave sooner than later is the best call.

Team Sonic + Shadow scamper to the cave and are greeted by Sticks and the missing townsfolk.

"Sticks!!" Amy cries as she drops everything and runs to her.

She gives her friend a big, warm hug and proceeds to ask 20 questions about what happened. Knuckles and Tails gently put the pole down and join Amy. Sonic buts in to give Sticks some room as her friends are practically suffocating her. Before Sticks can answer any questions, she is cut off by Shadow telling the group to leave.

"I told ya, we ain't leavin'." Sticks responds with persistence.

"And I told you if you and your little refugee camp don't get out of my cave, zombies won't be the only ones getting shot."

"Jeez Shadow! Why can't you just let them stay here? Is being alone and edgy REALLY more important to you than peoples' lives?!" Sonic asks, putting himself between Shadow and everyone else.

"I put a lot of work into keeping this place secret. I don't want any of these wimps thinking they can come to me for help."

"Ok. HEY EVERYONE!" Sonic gestures to the crowd of villagers. "If you need help, DO NOT go to Shadow!" He turns back to the grumpy hedgehog "See? Now no one will bother you and they can stay."

Shadow simply grunts and walks toward the cave entrance. Sticks goes on to explain what happened to her.

"I was lookin' for somewhere to hide. My burrow is set up for a robot uprising, not a zombie apocalypse. I tried to run to the volcano but got surrounded before I knew it! There I was, starin' into the sunken faces of the walking dead, when POW! Shadow wipes 'em up in a blink!"

"Wow Sticks. Were you scared?" Tails asks

"Nah, not really. I figured somethin' like this might happen someday. But I thought the robots would get us first."

"Well we're all just glad you're ok." Amy speaks with warmth and relief.

"Yeah, now we just have to figure out why there are zombies in the first place. And what's that pole for?" Sonic reminds the others. He turns to his bud, Tails, who is currently investigating the mysterious, broken pole.

"If SOMEONE hasn't broken it, I'd probably have an answer by now." Tails nearly shouts to get Shadow's attention.

"Uh, guys? I don't see Shadow." Knuckles warns.

The group turns to the cave entrance where Shadow was last seen. He is no longer there and can't be found anywhere within the half-crowded cave. Amy suggests searching for him but Sticks stops her.

"It's too dangerous! I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Yeah this is Shadow we're talking about." Sonic adds.

This is enough to get Amy to settle down. As the sun sets, the group gets everyone settled and calm enough to sleep. Once the last villager is out, the gang start to rest. They decide it's best if one person stays awake at a time. They'll take shifts, starting with Sticks (she insisted). The night goes on and eventually, it's Sonic's turn. Not long into his shift, he hears loud rustling. He jumps up to investigate only to see Shadow once again standing at the cave entrance.

"Shadow?"

"Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Where were you?!" Sonic whisper-shouts as to not wake the others. He walks up to Shadow.

"I was at Eggman's lair. Couldn't find answers on the zombies but the pole, there's a couple of them."

"Really?"

"According to want I saw, Eggman is building some kind of forcefield around the island."

"What? Why would he… It can't be cause he wants to keep the zombies contained could it?"

"He'd never do something so helpful."

"You'd be surprised Shadow. He might be a villain, but sometimes he can heart. Sometimes."

"Right. That time he tricked me into kicking you ass just screamed 'I care about you'."

"I did say sometimes."

Shadow looks around for a moment before tossing Sonic a ray gun. 

"Snagged this on my way out. You'll need it."

"I won't need it. Tails and I are gonna work on a cure."

"So you can cure death?"

"Well… no. Zombies aren't dead but they're also not alive. We'll figure it out, just no killing the zombies. They're still the same people we know and protect."

"You really are a fool. All it takes is one mistake and everyone is gone. By the time you start on a cure, everyone you know will join the undead. If you want to protect what's left of them, you'll eradicate the threat completely."

"No. We just need to find the cause of all this and it'll be an easy fix. Not EVERYTHING needs to be death and decay."

Shadow gets fed up with Sonic, who gives him back the ray gun. The two sit with their anger for a moment before Shadow sits on the grass and tells Sonic he'll keep watch. Sonic huffs away and tries to go back to sleep. It takes him awhile as he mutters curses toward Shadow under his breath. Once he finally settles down, he passes out with a blink of an eye, leaving Shadow to take everyone else's shifts.


	2. Time For Answers

The sun rises on day 2 of the zombie takeover. Everyone wakes up hoping the events of yesterday were a dream or hallucination. Unfortunately, waking up in the cave reminds them how real it was and leaves them asking "what next?". Sticks wakes up here friends and immediately says they need to search the area. Sonic and Knuckles look out to find a couple of zombies managed to wander near the cave, but seem unaware of its nearby inhabitants. Sonic looks around and notices Shadow is, once again, gone. For a moment Sonic wonders if he ever came but at all. Was it a dream? This thought is quickly interrupted by Knuckles asking what they should do. Sonic takes a moment to evaluate the situation.

"Some of us should stay here and protect the townsfolk. The rest will go out and get anything we need."

"I need the rest of my tools." Says Tails. "Not only will I be able to fix the pole but if I had the right materials, I could build a defense system of sorts."

Sonic remembers what Shadow told him and explains to the others Eggman's plan.

"Maybe Eggman is just being extra cautious." Amy says, not fully believing herself.

"But the ocean provides a natural barrier that traps the zombies here. It's redundant to build a forcefield." Tails argures.

"Maybe he's buildin' it ta trap us here so we can't escape the zombies eat'n us!" Sticks rambles.

Sonic begins tapping his foot anxiously while deep in thought. Amy tries to play devil's advocate while Tails argues Eggman is up to no good. Sticks spews out theory after theory on what Eggman is up to and how the world will end. Knuckles tries not to get involved but Sticks keeps pulling everyone in on her madness. Sonic gets restless and nearly shouts for everyone to shut up, almost alerting the the nearby undead. He shuffles everyone inside and comes up with a plan.

"Sticks and Tails, you stay here. Tails, give me a list of what you need and I'll get it. Sticks, you make sure no zombies get in here but DON'T kill them. Amy, Knuckles and I are gonna barge into Eggman's fortress and get some answers. Sound like a plan?"

The group nods and, with a simple "go" they take position. Tails checks what he has and tells Sonic everything he needs is either in his lab, or more than likely, in Eggman's lab. Sonic quickly memorizes what he needs and leads the other two off.

The trio are extra careful avoiding zombies on their way back to Tails' van. Once they reach the van however, it's completely trash. The van sits on its side with flat tires, broken windows, and a caved in hood.

"Zombies..?" Knuckles asks worryingly to Sonic.

"No WAY a zombie did this!" He responds in shock. "It looks like someone went all Street Fighter on this thing!" 

He approaches the vehicle and climbs on the side. Knuckles approaches with caution but Amy stays back and watches for any activity. Sonic carefully crawls inside and inspects the interior. Nothing is missing. Nothing seems tampered with that would suggest someone tried to steal the van. Sonic crawls out and decides it's best to focus on infiltrating Eggman's base. The group rule that when they must come back to this but for now, they move on.

The group trek along with caution until they finally reach the base. Sonic spin dashes through the front door and the others follow him inside. They bash any robots that come after them and tear down any doors in their path. A few minutes later, they find Dr. Eggman in his lab, who is somewhat shocked to seem them.

"Alright Egghead, you better start talking!" Sonic demands

"What do you think you're doing? Breaking in here, making a mess, demanding conversation?!"

"We know about the forcefield plan. What are you up to?"

"I figure you runts were behind my missing lightwave tracker. Alright, I'll tell you." 

Eggman sits down at his computer and opens a diagram of sorts. The left side of the diagram shows Sonic with some notes scribbled and pointing to parts of his body. The right side shows a series of notes and numbers, including a crude sketch of what looks to be a pathogen. It's all complete gibberish to the trio who stare in confusion as they wait for an explanation.

"I genetically engineered a virus that would slow down Sonic or any other speedy rodents. I designed it to weaken you so you'd be an easier target. But my profession is with robotics, NOT biological engineering. So it kinda backfired. My test subject escaped and it spread like wildfire."

"Why are you telling us this?" Sonic asks.

"Half the fun of an evil plan is getting to gloat about it! Even if it does end up failing."

"I can respect that" knuckles responds.

"So what's with the forcefield for?" Amy asks.

"To trap you while I escape to another island and build another evil fortress. I'm losing power now that that everyone is a zombie. Plus, why not take a failed plan and turn it into a BRILLIANT ONE!"

"Well now we're just gonna stop you!" Sonic points out.

"And force you to make a cure!" Amy adds

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA! You can't cure the virus! It was designed to un-curable! Soon you pests will be outta my hair for good!"

"What hair?" Sonic teases.

Knuckles runs up, arms above his head, ready to pummel Eggman. However, the Doctor leaps out of his chair and runs for a certain room, the computer takes all the damage. The trio run for Eggman, but by the time they start, He's already in his Eggcarrier with Orbot and Cubot at his side. As Eggman flies away, Sonic jolts after, only to be stopped by island's ledge. He manages to stop himself before falling into the sea below. However, once he regains his balance, Eggman is gone. He got away.

His friends catch up to him and suggest they gather Tails' materials. Sonic calls Eggman's bluff and convinces the two to search the fortress for a hidden cure. Everyone nods in agreement amd run inside. They tear up the place, searching every room, every shelf, over, under, and inside everything. Knuckles finds a bag for everyone to put Tails' stuff in. Eggman's entire robot arsenal was deactivated and left behind aside from the few destroyed protecting the place. Amy sympathizes with the now abandoned bots. 

"How could Eggman leave you to collect dust?" She says to herself.

"They're just robots." Knuckles points out after overhearing his friend.

"But they might be able to help us."

"Unless you know how to bring them back up and reprogram them to cure zombies and NOT kill us, leave them here." Sonic butts in with a slight attitude.

Amy sighs and leaves them be. Sonic tells them he couldn't find anything close to a cure but he did find something. He instructs Knuckles to take any food in the kitchen and find something else to put it in. Once Knuckles is gone, Sonic tells Amy to come with him. She follows him to a room with strange equipment. It's totally out of place for something Eggman-related. There's a large metal plate with busted cuffs on it. The plate is conected to the floor by a shaft and joint. Across from tje table is a wide desk full of monitors, papers, and shattered glass from a broken vile. Sonic walks to the end of the desk where a bookshelf sits slightly out of place. On the second shelf stands a vile holder with one vile tube left. The tube is labeled 'SK Sample 3' and inside the tube is a light blue liquid. Sonic picks it up and tells Amy it might be a sample of the virus. He hands it to her and says she and Knuckles need to go back to the cave and give the sample to Tails. Sonic plans on finding Shadow but Amy tells him they need to stick together. Sonic refuses and walks off to get Knuckles.

Once all the food is packed away, the trio leave. They make it back to the island before Sonic says he needs to go. They try once again to talk him out of going alone but Sonic asserts that he's too fast for anyone to catch, especially a zombie. They give up and let him go, but not before Amy give him a PB & J with the crust cut off in a bagie. He thanks her and bolts off in a random direction.

Amy and Knuckles make it back to the cave and tell Tails and Sticks everything that happened. Tails worries about his friend for a moment but reassures himself and his team that Sonic will be fine. He studies the sample while the other three ration the food they 'borrowed' between the townsfolk. The sun sets and everyone but Team Sonic calm themselves for bed. Sticks, Amy, and Knuckles plan for tomorrow. They need to find more food and fresh water as they're already out. Amy tries to call Sonic on her communicator but remembers they all stopped working when this whole thing started. Just another mystery in need of solving. 

Tails stays up for most of the night finishing his security system in the form of a forcefield. He made it from the lightwave tracker and set it up to cover the cave entrance. He wakes Sticks up before passing out as he doesn't trust his sloppy work enough to keep them completely safe. The team switches shifts throughout the rest of the night until sunrise.


	3. Camp Out

The night is still young and Sonic is still running. He comes up on Gogoba Village and finds everyone is zombified.

"Well… at least I don't have to deal with their guilt tripping." He says to himself.

As he continues his search for Shadow, Sonic happens upon a small, beaten up cottage. There are bodies scattered around the front door as well as a big hole on the side of the home. Sonic peaks inside through the hole, no one is inside. The interior is homey with pink accents and floral patterns laced about. Broken china and tipped furniture indicate zombies got in yet there are no bodies inside nor any signs of injury such as blood. Sonic steps inside and sees a flipped over couch with what looks like scrap metal piled near it. He takes a closer look then recognizes some of the pieces and their coloring. It's Mombot, or what's left of her. Sonic remembers the van and think again, a zombie couldn't do all this. Something must've broke through the wall and crushed her. At least, that's what Sonic concludes.

"Even you didn't deserve this." Sonic tells Mombot's remains as he scoops them up and carries them outside.

He digs a hole in the earth just outside across from the front door. He lays the busted parts down and buries them, it seemed like the right thing to do. He sits for a moment then continues his journey. Even if she was an Eggman creation, in Sonic's eyes, everyone deserves a proper burial.

As the night goes on, Sonic notices more and more zombie corpses going in a certain direction. He follows them believing Shadow is responsible. Not long after, he hears a voice, it's familiar but it's not Shadow's. He sneaks around in the bushes to the source only to see a small group standing at the bottom of a cliffside. It's Vector and he's with Shadow and Steve (Morpho). Sonic comes out and calls to them, interrupting their conversation. They stare at him as he approachs with some surprise.

"Shadow! There you are. Vector, what're you doing here?! Are you investigating the zombie outbreak? Hey Steve."

"Yes actually." Vector replies. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised you're uninfected."

"Yeah, nah I'm good. I'm actually looking for Shadow-wait… How did you find out about the zombies?"

"I told him." Shadow answers for Vector. "I went to the mainland and brought him back. I also saved blonde dipshit over there."

"Hey! You didn't save me, you threatened me! I was doing fine until YOU showed up and tried to destroy me!" Steve yells at Shadow.

"Keep your voice down." Vector snaps at Steve.

"So you went and got Vector why?" Sonic asks before quickly turning to Vector. "Not that I don't want you here or anything but don't you have a show to?"

"TV can wait. We need to quarantine this island and figure out why this happened."

"Oh I'm way ahead of you on that. We shouldn't talk here though. We need to find somewhere safe to camp for the night."

"Agreed. Though, If I still had my cave, this wouldn't be an issue." Shadow scolds.

Sonic rolls his eyes and leads the group off to find a way up the cliff. He figures it'll be safer up there. The group stays quiet for most of the trip with intervals of whispering here and there. They find where the earth inclines and follow it up as best they can. Vector spots some rocks hidden withing a sea of trees that line the cliffside. He suggest they use the rocks as a base for a tent of some kind. The surrounding terrain seems too tough for zombies to traverse.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Amy actually taught me how to make a roof with twigs and leaves." Sonic responds with pride.

"Ah we don't need to do all that. I'll just turn into a tarp." Steve objects.

"Ok. Yo Shad, how abou-" Sonic starts.

"Don't call me that."

"Whatever. Can you start a fire?"

"I can."

"….WILL you?"

Shadow remains silent and starts gathering sticks off the ground. Vector piles smaller stones parallel to the large ones as reference for where the tarp should drape. Steve transforms and lays himself in place, meanwhile, Shadow starts on the fire. Sonic runs around making sure no undead made their way up before settling down. Once the fire is started, everyone sits around it except Steve, who is apparently comfortable as a tarp. Shadow sneakily pulls out a flask however, Sonic sees him hiding it.

"Shadow, what's that?" Sonic asks the way a mother asks her child.

"Rum."

"From where?"

"What used to be a store."

"You just took it?"

"Was I supposed to PAY SOMEONE? After you drove me out of my cave, I decided to snag some."

Shadow takes a gulp of rum and Vector asks about the cave. Sonic explains then takes the opportunity to tell Vector all he knows about the zombie outbreak.

"And Tails is workin' on a cure you say?" Vector seeks confirmation.

"Hopefully."

Shadow takes another sip of his flask then stares into the fire.

"Hey Shadow, can I have a sip?"

"Hell no! This isn't kid shit."

"I just want a sip! I don't want to get drunk."

"Yeah let me get a swig too." Vector interrupts

"Yeah me too! It's the least you van do for trying to kill me." Steve butt in as he sits down, back in his Steve form.

"I hate all of you." Shadow tells them off.

Sonic and Steve start begging to get on his nerves. Eventually, Shadow gives in and throws the flask at Steve. They only plan on taking a sip but soon everyone is a little tipsy. They chat incoherently for sometime before Sonic starts trying to get everyone to sing the song that's stuck in his head.

"I know one of you knows it by heart. Ain't that right, Shad?"

"I don't know what you're taking about."

"Ah come on let's go. One, two… Can you feel life movin' through your mind-come on Shadow! Don't pretend you don't remember this one. It was, like, your favorite band when I first met you."

"I'm not a singer."

"You had no problem singing the Macarena with me."

Shadow blushes a little out of embarrassment and agrees to sing along if know one talks about it after.

"Live and learn! Hanging on the edge of tomorrow!" The tipsy four sloppily sing to the stars.

The night goes on as they fool around and tease each other. Steve calls it earlier than the others and Vector is next to pass out.

"I bet this is the first time in forever you've hung out with anyone." Sonic teases Shadow

"Cause I prefer to be alone."

"Yeah but isn't it… well… lonely? I mean, don't you even want to hang out?"

"What, with you?"

"Anyone. I get you're all edgy and hate people but-"

"I'm not edgy."

"Yes you are. You always talk like a jrpg villain."

"Shouldn't you be passing out by now?"

"You're only proving my point. Also, we should probably plan for tomorrow."

"Why would I spend my time with you?"

"To stop the zombies…? And you not just hanging out with me."

"….We should scavenge the nearby villages. I can show you where I got the rum."

"Yea sure."

"Great."

"Yup…… I'm gonna crash for tonight. See ya."

"See ya."

Sonic passes out almost immediately. Shadow stays up for a lot longer keeping an eye out for danger. The night grows old and quiet. The fire dies, leaving the moon as the only source of light. Shadow fights against his drowsiness for hours until finally, he loses and falls asleep.


	4. Piles

The early morning light creeps in through the mouth of the cave. The barrier held all night and now the rest of Team Sonic prepares for their food hunt. Amy starts instructing the towsfolk on what to do in their absence when someone screams. Everyone jumps in shock and falls silent. Then they here banging towards the cave opening. A zombie missing its lower jaw starts banging on the forcefield with a deformed, ball-like hand. Its other hand is missing and the arm it belonged to sits limb at their side. Sticks walks up to it with her staff in hand, ready to clobber it.

"Sticks no!" Tails runs up and grabs her arm. "Sonic said not to kill the zombies!"

"He also said don't let 'em get in!"

The zombie stops randomly and presses its head against the translucent screen. Everyone sits on edge as it stands there motionless for what feels like an hour. Suddenly, the undead's body starts shaking violently. It let's out a horrible, skin-crawling screech before returning to its motionless state. Hearts pound, breath becomes short, the sound of distant growls and screeches draw closer as panic wells up in the frightened minds of all. It's not long before an army races the forcefield, trampling the one that called them as they bang against the barrier. Team Sonic readys themselves for combat as the screen cracks. The horrified townsfolk press themselves as far from the entrance as possible, even shoving others out of the way.

In an instant, the forcefield shatters and a wave of zombies comes barreling towards them. With no hesitation, Amy charges, hammer held high as the rest follow, to protect as best they can. It isn't long before the wave crashes into the civilian crowd. Screams begin to drown out the growls. People desperately try to run, throwing punches at anything or anyone in front of them. The chaos continues for sometime before everything starts to go quiet. Team Sonic managed to kill all the zombies and while they seemed fine, not everyone was as fortunate. No one made it out of the cave. 11 people were bitten, 9 were trampled to death, 15 sustained major injuries such as broken bones and open flesh wounds, the remaining few were unharmed but could still now be infected.

Amy has people separated in groups based on severity of injury. Tails decides to help her treat them meanwhile, Sticks and Knuckles scrap the bodies off the cave floor. Knuckles wants to bury them all but Sticks tells him they need to be burned.

"Even if they're underground, they could still attract more zombies. Also, what if they're not really dead? They could come back! We gotta burn 'em!"

This leaves knuckles visibly upset yet he doesn't object in the slightest. The two drag bodies to a pile and Sticks adds leaves to make more flammable.

Time passes as what's left of everyone sits around a bonfire of corpses. Some of the survivors are missing. A closer look into the flames reveals the missing with slashed throats, widened eyes, dislocated limbs, and wounds too great to heal. Including Team Sonic (-Sonic), 10 people sit around the pile. Tears fall and whimpering echos into the night sky. Tails takes a broken vile out of his bag and gazes with disappointment before hurling it into the flames. This was not a victory.

A quiet town sits in a valley, glazed by morning sun and completely motionless. The sound of Sonic running through the streets breaks the silence for a moment. Shadow, Vector, and Steve catch up with him as they notice he has stopped. Sonic points out the storefronts and Shadow wordlessly signals for everyone to start scavenging. They split up in two groups to cover more ground while still being safe. Shadow and Vector split off to the opposite side of the street, leaving Sonic and Steve at the first found department store. Sonic runs in and starts ordering Steve on what to keep an eye out for.

"We're gonna need weapons. We can touch the zombies or we'll get infected so get something good but not something that'll kill them. Also, if you see any food, grab it! Unless it's gross, half-eaten food, then don't get it."

"You know I'm a robot who can't get infected, right?"

"Well I'm not so get me an axe handle or something."

Steve wanders off to the back of the store, believing there might be a storage room. Sonic dashes up and down the aisles, grabbing things he goes, then throws a pile down near the entrance. The pile contains lots of duck tape, a bundle of wooden planks, four hammers, two packs of nails, some camping cookware, a tent, and a large package of bottled waters. He looks down at his pile satisfied then impatiently waits for Steve's return.

Steve makes his way to a backroom with random equipment and sports gear thrown into shelves haphazardly and drooping to the floor. Amongst the mess are two bodies, one who was clearly infected and another who must've been fighting for his life. It looks like he managed to bash the thing's skull in with a baseball bat before succumbing to his injuries. Steve, grossed out, snags the baseball bat from the dead stranger and darts out of there. He walks out and presents the bat to Sonic in an almost proud manner.

"Yeah… this could work. As long as I don't hit anyone too hard." Sonic examines the bat.

"I believe a thank you is in order."

"Don't push it, Steve."

"Morpho!"

"Yeah whatever. Now help me carry this crap."

Hands full, the pair walk out ready to meet up with the others. Shadow rushes toward Sonic with something in his hand.

"Shadow, where's Vector?"

"Still scavenging. Here, I got the stuff." Shadow hands Sonic a bottle of rum.

"Aw sweet!" Steve yanks the bottle and starts examining it.

"Oh right. Maybe we should take it easy this time. I'm still a little headachey from last night." Sonic rubs his head.

Shadow snatches the bottle back from Steve who tried to open it. Vector walks up carrying a big cardboard box.

"What's in the box?" Steve asks.

"Food. Enough to last us a month if we ration it carefully." Vector replies.

"Only a month?" Shadow questions.

"Well if Sonic is right, we won't even be in this mess for that long."

"And if I'm right, this is our new life. We need as much food as we can grab before it gets stolen or tainted."

"Whoa Shadow, Tails is probably coming up with a cure as we speak. No need to get all paranoid. This plenty of food." Sonic takes a gander into the box to find mostly processed and canned foods.

Shadow groans and goes quiet for awhile. Steve turns into a wheelbarrow and the others pile their goods onto him. Once settled, they make their way back to their cliffside campsite. Sonic strikes up conversation a few times however, Shadow remains distant despite Sonic's subtle efforts. Once at their settlement, they unpack and set up for a more permanent base. Shadow starts the fire again, Sonic and Vector put up the tent, and Steve lays out all the equipment and ponders where they'll be safest. Sonic, when asked, explains the boards and nails are for an emergency scenario (like blockaiding). It doesn't make much sense to Steve as they're outside but he shrugs and sets them next to the tent.

When the tent goes up, the box of food is pushed inside and everyone sits around the fire same as the night before. Steve takes out a can of beans and starts cooking it for everyone's lunch. Sonic sits next to Shadow and convinces Vector to help him get Shadow talking. What they manage to get out of him is a question but it's one directed toward Sonic in a somewhat malicious manner.

"Don't you have friends to save?"

"My friends are fine."

"You don't know that. They could be walking corpses by now and-"

"My friends are fine!"

An overwhelming silence swept the air. Steve and Vector paused and stared at the hedgehogs who were now locked in eye contact. Minutes, feeling slow and tense, pass before Shadow huffs and moves away. He gets up and walk behind the large rocks. He sits down out of sight of the others and ignores any calls for his name. Sonic tells them to ignore him and insists he's just throwing a fit.

Everyone eats lunch except Shadow. Vector offers him some beans but Shadow remains unresponsive. As the day goes forward, Sonic starts wanting to apologize for shouting and talk to Shadow again. He goes behind the rock to talk but Shadow isn't there. Alerted, everyone calls for him, even willing to risk being noticed by zombies. However, there is no response, no sight of him, no trace of where he left to. Shadow has disappeared again.


	5. Take Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you've been reading this for zombie killing action and whatnot, I PROMISE we'll get to that soon.
> 
> I'm having a lot of fun writing this and don't want to rush it.

Sonic, Steve, and Vector haul their food to Shadow's cave to feed the survivers and make sure everything is ok. Upon arrival, the cave is empty. An ash pile sits out front emitting a faint, ranced smell. Sonic has a moment of panic as he dashes inside to look for any sign of his friends. The other two follow him with more cation as they scan the interior. Not long after, Vector points something out on the wall. The words "gone to Kodiak Frontier" were scratched onto the wall. This confuses Steve however, Sonic recognizes the name.

"Kodiak is a country north from here. It's cold and the frontier is where most of its people live."

"So they just abandoned us here like Eggman?"

"No, something bad happened here. We need to follow them!"

"I agree." Vector responds. "However, there's one key thing we don't have, transportation."

"Right… I doubt Tails would leave his plane behind." Sonic says to himself.

"Eggman has something." A voice calls from behind them.

Everyone turns and to their surprise, it's Shadow! He gestures for everyone to leave the cave, ignoring any questions until they follow. Once outside, the others see D-Fekt and the rogue Cubots gathered around.

"Eggman technically has everything we need in terms of transportation." Shadow begins.

"It's true. They may not be fully assembled but, Eggman should have plenty machines capable of flight." D-Fekt finishes.

"So wait, you left us without a word to get D-Fekt and the rogues?" Sonic questions Shadows actions.

"I left to check on your friends, something YOU weren't willing to do. By the time I got here, they were gone. I saw the message and decided to get some information from these piles of scrap."

"But why?"

"So we could get off this cursed island. Your friends made the smart choice of leaving and we should do the same. I'd leave these rogue bots behind but they won't leave me alone."

"You said you'd take us off the island if we told you Eggman's lair secrets!" D-Fekt argues.

Shadow starts walking off before anyone can respond. D-Fekt signals for his Cubot crowd to follow while Sonic & co. reluctantly do the same. Irritated, Sonic asks if Shadow hates Egghead's bots.

"Of course but these bots are against the Doctor. Enemy of my enemy and all." Shadow answers. "If Steve hadn't pledged against Eggman, I would've destroyed him."

"Considering he abandoned Mombot and I here, it makes more sense to side with you guys." Steve rationalizes his behavior.

"So what happened to Mombot?" Sonic asks Steve.

"HE happened." Steve points to Shadow.

Sonic confirms this with Shadow then becomes pissed. Shadow defends his actions, explaining Mombot refused to side against her "son". Sonic asked if she attacked him and Shadow said no.

"So you just turned her to scrap because she disagreed with you?!"

"Why do you care? She was one of HIS creations, just like the zombies."

"You can't just go around killing and destroying all you want!"

"I made the world just a little better by destroying that robot. As soon as I find Eggman, I'll do what you never could. I'll kill him."

"No! I haven't killed Egghead because he doesn't deserve it!"

"Doesn't deserve it?! He is a villain! Even if he is incompetent, he still can't get away with his crimes unpunished!"

At this point, everyone has stopped walking. Everyone else is visibly uncomfortable and unsure what to do. Should they say something? Keep walking? Let it resolve itself? Well they all choose to stand and stare in hopes the argument doesn't end in a fist fight.

"Shadow, you sound crazy. Why do you think I'm here? We beat up Eggman when he does something wrong, THAT'S the punishment! Killing him wouldn't make you look any better!"

"Then let's stop dicking around! Let's find him and kick his ass!"

And with that, Shadow continues on his path. The Cubots start talking amongst themselves to ease the mood before starting weird conversation with others in the group.

After a long, somewhat tense trip, they finally arrive. The Cubots lead everyone to a restricted area full of scrapped ideas and "inspirational" posters. Everyone scrambles to find any mostly-built crafts they can touch up. Vector finds what looks to be a beta version of the Eggcarrier and pulls it out of its scrap pile.

"Think she can still fly?" Vector questions the now gathered group.

"I don't know. Looks like it's been here for awhile." Sonic replies. "Even if it does, how do we check?"

Vector hops in and starts pressing things. Nothing happens.

"Im sure I could be doin' this wrong but this thing seems as dead as what's been walkin' around."

"Man… If Tails were here, he could fix this up and then some." Sonic sighs.

"I may not have the genius of my creator but I DO know a little bit about how these things work." Steve pushes Vector aside and examines the betacarrier. "I might be able to get this thing running but I don't about turning it into a hovercraft."

"Maybe one of Dr. Eggman's robot can help!" The hatted Cubot speaks his idea.

"What boltbrain of his could help us build a hovercraft?" Sonic remarks.

"…Metal." Shadow speaks lowly before addressing the crowd. "Metal Sonic is smarter than he looks. He knows what Eggman knows. Even if he has half the intelligence of Eggman, he should be able to build something out of all this junk."

"Cool, except one thing. Metal will try to kill us if we turn him on." Sonic points out.

"Do any of you know how to reprogram a robot?" Shadow address the others.

"Well like I said, I know a thing or to about how his machines work. I am one after all." Steve reminds him.

"Fixing up these Cubots has taught me a thing or two about robot anatomy. I can help you." D-Fekt tells Steve.

"I've always thought myself a fast learner. You tell me what's up and I'll do what I can to help." Vector states.

"I guess being best friends with a genius means I've gotta pick up something useful, right? I'll help too." Sonic says.

"And I will help as well." Shadow adds. "Cubots, where is Metal Sonic?"

The Cubots lead everyone to a room dedicated to storing robots. Sonic scans the room and comments on the bots he recognizes (which is all of them) until they reach Metal's charging port. Vector carefully takes him out and lays him on the floor for inspection. Without much hesitation, everyone gets to work starting with Steve. He tells to get Eggman's tools from his room and Sonic whips away and back in the blink of an eye. With tools in hand, Steve opens a compartment and everyone takes turns fixing up what they know. It doesn't take too long before they're ready to test their skills.

Steve volunteers to switch Metal on while the others back away (in case they fucked up majorly and he explodes). Metal's eye flick on and he rises to his feet. He gazes at Sonic before marching towards him. He marches right up to Sonic, puts his hand on his chest, and takes a knee.

"Wh-ho it worked! What is he doing?" Sonic gets excited and confused before turning to Shadow.

"If we did everything right then instead of wanting to kill you, he'll want to protect you." Steve answers with confidence.

With Metal on their side, the gang head back to build the hovercraft. Sonic makes a quick detour before helping out. Metal proved to be a great help as he dismantled machine after machine for useful parts and did his best to give instructions without words. Soon enough, it was done and they take it outside (idk how they managed that. Just use your imagination).

The Frankensteined craft stands on six limbs, all differing from each other in appearance but serving the same functionality. The craft is wide and bulky with massive wings sprouting from its torso. The head and the rear both have entrances, the rear being a walk in and the head being a drop in. The beast is heavy, requiring wings and hover tech for flight and balance. The colors are all over the place but generally consistant being components from the same, color coordinated army.

"I think she's good to go! Hop inside!" Steve gets in first and shows off the various passenger seats poorly screwed into the floor. 

"While working, I noticed Eggman's signal jammer was stronger than usual. I turned it off so we should be able to contact your friends and make sure they're still in Kodiak." Steve points out to Sonic.

Sonic takes this information and hurries to look at his communicator. He calls his friends and they pick up immediately. Sonic informs them on his situation and everyone he's with. Tails catches them up on all they've been through, explaining why they had to leave. He gets upset over the loss of the sample but Sonic reassures him when he says he has another one.

"We'll bring it to you." Sonic demands.

"No. If you can find out where Eggman is, go to him. FORCE him to fix this mess!" Amy shouts through Tails' line.

"Honestly, I'm not sure if I can do much here." Tails begins. "If I mess up, I could get these people infected. It probably is best to get Eggman back so he can work on a cure."

"That shouldn't be too hard, right?" Sonic asks D-Fekt.

"I'm sure we can find something." He leads the Cubots off the craft and back into the lair.

"Will you guys be ok?" Sonic's attention returns to his oversea friends.

"We'll be fine. Just find Eggman and get back back to us when you have him." Amy replies.

After a bit of an awkward goodbye, Sonic hangs up and the rest wait for the Cubots' return. It doesn't take too long before they come floating back with good news.

"Eggman's going to a place called Soleanna!" The glasses Cubot speaks eagerly.

"Soleanna…?" Vector trails off into thought as if the name sounds familiar.

"Do you know where that is?" Shadow asks Vector.

"Yeah…*snap* yeah! I one of my TV crew is from there. She told me where it is. I think I can get us there."

"Great! Now we need to makes sure this thing can get off the ground." Sonic responds.

Steve mans pilot station while Metal stands by as co-pilot. They prepare the craft for flight and with a few bumps, they're airborne! Everyone cheers as they soar over the ocean.

"Hey guys, we should come up with a name for this." Sonic tells them.

"What, cheering?" Asks the green Cubot.

"No, a name for the aircraft."

"Ya got somethin' in mind?" Vector asks.

"Well since it's a mashup of different Eggman bots, how about Amalgabot?"

"I like it."

"Me too." D-Fekt adds.

"If he likes it, then I like it!" Cutebot adds as well.

Everyone agrees to the name, even Shadow seems to like it despite not being very creative. And with a Amalgabot finally named and flying, the group focuses their attention on Soleanna, swearing to themselves they would find Dr. Eggman.


	6. Soleanna Nightmare

The night creeps in and reminds the group of their exhaustion. The robots (and shadow) stay awake to pilot while Sonic and Vector sleep. At some point, the Cubots and Steve start resting to recharge. One accidentally trips over Sonic and wakes him. Sonic sees Shadow is still awake and decides to have a chat with him before going back to sleep.

"Hey Shad!"

"I told you not to call me that."

"Yeah yeah. Hey listen, thanks for doing all this."

"Hmm?"

"I mean you didn't have to help us. You ran off without saying anything and you could've left the island without us every knowing. But you didn't."

"So?"

"So, for I guy who claims he doesn't like or care about anyone, you sure have done a lot to help us."

"You're reading too much into this. I helped you because if I didn't, you probably find me anyways. At least this way you wont harass me about ditching you for the rest of your life."

"Right… THAT'S why you checked on my friends and let the Cubots follow you."

"What do you want from me?"

"Nothing. I'm just thanking you for your help."

"Well… you're welcome. Now go back to sleep."

"Ok dad. You wanna tuck me in?"

"Stop that."

"Hahaha I'm just messing with you. You used to laugh and be happy. What happened?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Sure you do. When we… dated… you weren't such an edgelord."

"Things have changed, Sonic. I've learned things about myself since then. Things I'm not happy about. Honestly, I shouldn't be around you guys."

"Ok… I'm sure it's not that big a deal."

"I'm not from here, Sonic. I'm not from this planet. I'm a living weapon and I wasn't made for friends and romance."

"Wait you're an ALIEN?!"

"Kind of…"

"Well I don't care. I mean, you're still you."

"Thanks."

"… Ya know, I kinda miss when we were together. Not to make this weird or anything. You just seem less angry and 'fuck the world'-y when you're with other people."

"I gu-"

Shadow is cut off by Metal grabbing him and pointing to the windshield. In the distance, glowing skyscrapers peak over the horizon. The two hedgehogs wake everyone and point out land.

"That's it! That's Soleanna!" Vector cries.

"THAT'S Soleanna? I was expecting something more victorian and less cyberpunk." Sonic states.

As they draw closer, the neon city glows with tall buildings. A voice comes from Amalgabot's dashboard. Apparently, she has a radio and someone is making contact.

"Hello, radio person?" The hatted Cubot answers the call.

"This is Soleanna City-State Air Control. The city is in quarantine. You do not have clearance to land. Repeat, you do NOT have clearance to land."

"Can you give us clearance?" Sonic responds. "It's an emergency."

"Negative."

"Wait." Vector cuts in. "What are you quarantined from?"

"A disease causing violent behavior and rotting of the flesh. It's not safe here."

"We've been experiencing the same thing back home." Sonic informs the cruise control. "We're trying to find a cure and someone in your city might know how to make one."

After some silence, Amalga is given permission to land. A light signal goes off near the coast to signify where they must land. Once they hit the ground, Shadow starts giving orders on what to do next.

"Sonic and I will go out there and talk to them. The rest of you wait here until we get back."

"Why?" Asks Steve.

"In zombie scenarios, as well as plagues in general, there are ALWAYS carriers." Sonic replies. "People who have the disease but don't show symptoms. That's how things like this happen."

"You sure know a lot about this stuff." Vector points out.

"Well I read a lot of zombie comics, watch zombie shows, play zombie games. I've thought about what I'd do in this situation HUNDREDS of times."

"Alright, let's hustle. The military is here and we don't want to start shit." Shadow urges Sonic.

The two head out alone. Two armed, human guards approach them with weapons in hand but in a passive stance.

"Hey! Don't worry, we're not infected. Please don't shoot us." Sonic is the first to speak.

Sonic tries to focus on the men but can't help gazing at the city around him. The seas of skyscrapers block the sky except directly above. The night sky seems like a void punched through the bright, overwhelming colors of Soleanna. The buildings, everything, seems so sleek and modern, almost alien compared to Seaside's humble villages. Even the weapons the soldiers hold are laced with glowing colors. The building behind them seems like an airport turned into a makeshift hospital, although it's hard to tell given how foreign everything is.

Sonic's attention is literally snapped back to reality by Shadow.

"We are going to have to inform the royal family of your arrival. Any information you have on the epidemic or the individual you seek, must be told to them directly. Their orders." One guard speaks.

Sonic only just now notices the men speaking with an accent he'd never heard before as well as a crest of sorts, likely related to this "royal family".

"Can our friends come?"

"No. We need to be sure no visitors are infected. It won't take too long with one of you, but we can't risk a group-"

"Yeah yeah we get it." Shadow cuts him off. "Look, I'm immune. I'll go talk to the royal family."

The men seem a little shocked by this stranger's interruption and refuse him access until they give him a test. They offer to test everyone and keep their ship safe indoors. They offer as though it isn't much of a choice but rather common hospitality. Sonic accepts then the soldiers request everyone out of the vehicle. The remaining party members exit and everyone is escorted inside the airport.

Inside are nurses, military, staff, and presumably common folk all crowded and pacing about. Things seem hectic and the group instinctively crowd closer together as not to lose anyone. They're escorted to a grey room with chambers and fancy equipment. This looks to be where people are tested for the virus. The group talk amongst themselves on who should meet the royal family. At first D-Fekt is offered up but he refuses to go without his Cubots. Metal cannot talk so he's out. Vector offers to go but Shadow cuts him off and insists he will talk to the royal family. Sonic wants to go instead but Shadow says to trust him before stepping up to be tested. Knowing he is immune, he doesn't hesitate to have blood drawn or under go any physical evaluations. A guard stands in the room's doorway and tells everyone to sit down a certain distance away from each other.

It doesn't take too long for Shadow's results to come back negative. It surprises most in the group how fast the results came back and Vector notes that their tech must be far more advanced than theirs. He recalls his co-worker being fascinated by the cameras used to film his show. He it was because she never got the chance to use something so expensive. When she described this place to him, he had no idea how advanced things were. Once Shadow was confirmed immune with the surrounding military, he was escorted away from everyone and into a worthog-esc vehicle.

Shadow arrives at the palace and is lead straight to the king. The king is in his study, arguing with a young woman. He is a big, burly man with red and gray hair flowing from his head and face like a waterfall. He takes notice of Shadow and orders the woman out.

"No! Not until you do something!" She shouts.

The woman has red hair like the man, only hers is very short. She's wearing a short, black, sleeveless dress with glowing, teal highlights. Her tights are the same shade of teal and her high heeled shoes look just like the dress, black and teal.

"A messenger?" The king addresses Shadow. "Please, excuse my daughter."

He makes a gesture with his hand then the guards drag the girl out of the study. Despite her anger, she goes willingly, glancing back at Shadow with a strange look. Shadow focuses on the king and speaks directly.

"We're looking for a bald man with a brown mustache and red coat. He knows how to cure the disease plaguing our homes."

"Thank you. You know what to do." The king addresses the guards.

Shadow stands up and walks with the guards out of the study. One guard speaks into a small radio and orders for a state-wide search with the description Shadow gave. Out of no where, the other guard drops to the floor. Shadow turns in time to see the girl from before, the princess, hitting the remaining guard with the butt end of a spear. She drops her weapon and grabs Shadow, insisting they leave immediately. Shadow questions her but she urges him they don't have time and people are in danger. Shadow quickly becomes fed up and teleports the two back to the airport. To Shadow and the princess' horror, the airport is in the middle of a zombie invasion. Guns firing into a sea of walking dead meanwhile, civilians cowar behind furniture and dart into rooms. Shadow drags the princess into room after room looking for his friends. Eventually, he finds the green Cubot cowaring under a desk with troops firing at a knocked down wall. Shadow grabs Cubot and demands to know where everyone is.

"They hauled it back to Amalgabot. I got left behind."

Shadow picks up Cubot and continues to drag the princess around. He finds their way to Amalga, sitting in a massive garage of sorts, and teleports them inside (I'm guessing he can't teleport there if he doesn't know where 'there' is). Everyone jumps as they see Shadow is already back and brought a new friend. D-Fekt runs up and the Cubot jumps down to him. The two are clearly excited to be reunited.

"Shadow! Who's the chick? Also, shit got crazy SO FAST!" Sonic yells.

"I noticed." Shadow calmly replies. "This is, apparently, the princess of Soleanna. She kidnapped me then I kidnapped her."

"WHAT?!"

"The names Elise and no one's been kidnapped." The princess finally introduces herself. "I knew this was going to happen. That's why I did what I did."

"What?!"

"I mean letting Shadow drag me around and teleport me here."

"I do NOT understand and their are zombies everywhere so we need to do something!"

"We will." Shadow encourages Sonic.

Elise walks up to the control panel and inspects while Steve and Metal mess with it. Steve pushes a button and a cannon fires from Amalga.

"We have a cannon?!" Vector shouts at Steve.

"Yeah."

"And you were gonna tell us this WHEN?" Sonic buts, agitated.

"When we needed it, like right now."

Steve aims and fires the cannon at the wall ahead and fires, creating another hole to the horde outside. Metal begins walking the craft forward, ignoring the zombies they step on.

"Wait we can't leave! We still have to find eggman!" Sonic alerts Steve.

Elise ponders at the name and the description she overheard. She taps the side of her head and a teal screen appears in her eyes. They twitch over strange patterns before fading. Afterwards, she says she knows where this "Eggman" character is. She demands they take flight and says she will direct them. Amalga takes flight, shaking off undead weight.

The city from above has a distopian glamour to it. The lights still hold their sleek beauty but the dark, flaming streets below creep through as a reminder of the horrors behind the embellished lights. Elise points out a large park below. It stands out like a dark stain on a beautiful, white dress. She tells Metal to land there and advises everyone to be careful on the way out. Sonic asks how she knows these things and she says she can see the future.

"Bull." Sonic comments.

"I have… some tech in my head. It allows me to see different possible scarios. It helps me decide what to do and what's best for my people."

"So why ask for information if you can predict it before it's said?" Shadow asks.

"I can't predict what isn't going to happen. Besides, my father is the one who asked. I'm the only one with this implant. Before you ask, I couldn't tell anyone ahead of time because implants like mine are illegal."

"If someone else went, you'd have been screwed"

"If someone else came, I wouldn't have done what I did. We can pick this up later." 

Amalga lands and Elise urges everyone to stay sharp. She points to a street facing the park boundaries and says Eggman is in a run-down shop. Sonic, Shadow, Steve, and Vector vote to go while the others stay in the ship. The four grab a weapon each and head out.

It doesn't take long before they reach the mentioned storefront. Sonic knocks on the door only to Shadow's critique. To their surprise however, Cubot answers the door, only to immediately shut it in fear of Sonic.

"Alright Egghead, open up! You need to stop making zombies and go back to making robots I can destroy." Sonic calls into the door.

The group hears groaning and things being knocked over. The four ready themselves as Shadow kicks open the door. The sight they're greeted to is a zombified Eggman being supported by Orbot and Cubot.

"What happened?!" Sonic blurts out.

"I'm afraid the serum Dr. Eggman was carrying broke. The virus got into his system and now he's a member of the undead." Orbot retells events tragically.

"Yeah, and he's turned into a zombie." Cubot adds.

"I have the last sample. Can you do ANYTHING with it that might help?" Sonic unraps the vile from his handkerchief.

"I'm afraid not." Orbot apologizes.

"We ain't so good with this stuff. Not even the Doc was." Cubot claims.

Shadow pulls his pistol out and aims for Eggman's forehead. Orbot and Cubot scream and hold on to Eggman. Sonic swiftly stuffs the vile away then puts himself between Eggman and the gun.

"Why are you protecting him? He's not even Eggman anymore!" Shadow stomps, frustrated.

"We can cure him!"

"I don't know man. He looks pretty bad." Steve responds with hesitation.

"He doesn't deserve to be cured! He did all of this!" Shadow reminds Sonic.

"Ok ok let's just keep it calm." Sonic tries to settle Shadow's rage.

"If it makes a difference, Dr. Eggman didn't mean to infect the city." Orbot tries to reason.

"We let him out of our sight ONE time and he's off biting people." Cubot says.

Everyone hears the front door slam close. Vector is pressing his back against the door with his crowbar drawn.

"We got an emergency. Spontaneous horde!"

"Uh-oh. Are there any other ways into this place?" Sonic asks Orbot and Cubot.

"I don't think so." Cubot answers unsuringly.

Shadow shoves Vector out of way and holds the door closed himself. He orders Steve to get behind him with his axe ready. Sonic urges them not to fight but Shadow reminds him that people are at risk if they let zombies roam the streets. Before Sonic can think of a counter argument, Steve and Shadow run out the door and close it behind them. Zombie Eggman starts to get rowdy and runs after Vector. Sonic instinctively swings his bat at the zombie and hits him in his leg. Eggman falls to the floor and spazes out. Out of nowhere, Sonic begins beating Eggman's head in with his bat. Orbot and Cubot start crying for him to stop and Vector tries to pull him away. Sonic eventually throws the bat down and looks at the bloody pile that was Eggman's face. He sits down next to his butchered nemesis.

"I'm sorry… You didn't deserve this but if anyone was gonna put you out of your misery, I should probably be me." Sonic takes off Eggman's wrist controller. "The least I can do is remember you, right?"

Cubot, Orbot, and Vector crowd around Sonic. The two little robots start crying over their beloved Doctor. Sonic sheds a tear before getting up and wiping his face. He picks up his baseball bat and tries to lift the others' spirits.

"I know this is depressing but Shadow is right."

"We can't cure them?" Vector questions.

"No, we can't let zombies roam in hordes like this. I'm sure we can cure them but if we want to keep the uninfected safe, we have to do something about the amount of infected."

"Does this mean you're our new Eggman?" Cubot asks almost innocently.

Sonic slips on the wrist controller, despite it being too big for him. His demeanor changes and he orders everyone behind him while gripping his bat. The three don't seem to hesitate and follow his command. With little warning, Sonic opens the door and charges out with Vector close behind. Orbot and Cubot aren't as eager but it doesn't matter, Steve and Shadow have already killed most of the horde. Once the scraps are delt with, Sonic explains what went down after they left. Shadow is openly proud of Sonic at first but quickly sees how upset he is about what happened. Sonic assures them a cure will be found but admits he needs to think more about those who are still in danger.

The six of them walk back to Amalga just as alert as before. They regroup and retell the events with a stern attitude. Metal Sonic gets visibly upset for a moment before walking up next to Sonic. He motions and beeps with relief, happy that Sonic is ok and almost showing off his loyalty.

Elise asks what's next. Sonic says they need to go to Kodiak Frontier and give the last sample to Tails. Elise asks that she is dropped off at her palace first.

"What about you breaking out of there and having illegal tech?" Asks Sonic.

"None of that is important right now. I helped you with an important task and now I need to think about my people."

"Elise, will we find a cure?" Sonic almost desperately asks.

"… Yes and no. I don't know yet. There are still so many ways this could all end. But if you're determined to fix this mess then I think you'll find one." Elise gives her answer with full confidence.

Sonic gives Tails a call and lets him know they're on their way. Tails wishes them to be careful and hangs up. A quick stop by the royal palace is the last thing done before the zombie hunters leave Soleanna. Sonic fiddles with Eggman's wrist controller until it fits him better. It's still a little big but at least now it won't fall off. Shadow questions Sonic on why he's upset over Eggman.

"He was my enemy, sure. But he was also a friend. I feel bad and I wanna make up for it." Sonic's reply is very straight forward.

"You're going to make up for it by taking control of his robot army?" Shadow puts it confusingly.

"They can help keep people safe and rebuild what's been destroyed."

"You actually thought this out, huh?"

"What's THAT supposed to mean?"

"I'm just impressed is all."

Sonic sits on the floor and Shadow joins him. The two feel an unfamiliar exhaustion wash over the before noticing the sun is coming back. The night felt like it lasted several days. The light felt so refreshing to all on board. It was so comforting to know the night was finally over that Sonic passed on Shadow's shoulder. Though he was surprised at first, Shadow didn't mind and even held Sonic in place. They made it through a nightmare and finally have a moment to breathe.


End file.
